


The Seraph Games

by FandomPandaBear, Insomnia_Productions



Category: The Hunger Games, 終わりのセラフ | Owari no Seraph | Seraph of the End
Genre: Don't Judge, F/F, Hunger Games AU, M/M, We're sorry, but also fluffy times, kinda short chapters, lots of pain, someone will probably die, yuungget
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-05-14 22:22:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5761099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomPandaBear/pseuds/FandomPandaBear, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insomnia_Productions/pseuds/Insomnia_Productions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikaela and Yuuichirou have managed to escape every Reaping so far, so why should this year be any different? </p><p>(it's different)<br/>(and it sucks)<br/>(so much) </p><p> </p><p>A typical Hunger Games AU, so get ready for pain and angst and suffering and chicken nuggets</p><p> </p><p>currently on hiatus because sOMEONE cough cough panda is irresponsible af</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Reaping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sword fights with sticks and the beginning of a Quarter Quell reaping.

It takes a great amount of concentration and precision to weave a daisy crown. The flowers are small and fragile, and each one must be handled with the utmost care, gently guided through the small loops in their flimsy stems until a complete circle has been formed.  
Shindou Mikaela possesses this patience. Amane Yuuichirou does not.  
“Mika,” the brunette groans, tossing his flowers in the air and sagging against his best friend. “I’m bored.”  
Mika seals the last knot on his crown and dumps it onto Yuu’s head, hiding a smirk when Yuu straightens and faces him.  
“Well?”  
“You look like a princess, Yuu-chan.”  
Yuu scoffs loudly and stands, sauntering over to the grazing cows they’ve been tasked with watching. “Shut up.” He pauses. “We’re hardly princes. We’re not even _people_. We’re no better than these stupid cows! We’re just—”  
Mika sighs and tips onto his back. “Expendable, faceless livestock to Sanguinem. You don’t need to say it every day, Yuu-chan, I get it.” He sighs again, something he tends to do quite often when around the fiery sixteen-year-old, which is more or less 24/7. “Just come back here.”  
When Yuu only turns away and kicks at the grass, Mika springs up and picks up two long sticks from the ground, running over to his friend and shoving one into his hands.  
“All right then, Yuu-chan, let’s make a deal.” He twirls the stick in one hand in a fluid, practiced motion. “If you win, I’ll let you complain to me about Sanguinem until it’s time for the Reaping. If I win, you have to shut up and do whatever I want, without complaint.”  
Yuu groans. “Mika… no… we’re way too old for this. Besides, the Reaping’s in an hour, I can’t just—”  
“ _Exactly_.” The grin drops from his face. “It’s a Quarter Quell this year, Yuu-chan. You know they’re always the worst, and we don’t know how they might change the Reaping system this time. So I just thought… this might be the last day we spend together, and I—” He breaks off, gripping the stick harder and looking down at it. He wishes he could say it feels like just yesterday that they were ten-year-olds, just discovering the magic of swordfighting with the slender sticks for the first time, but really, it doesn’t. The days pass too slowly, too miserably for anything to feel like _just yesterday_. Sometimes even yesterday feels like months ago.  
“Mika? Oh, jeez, don’t give me that face… okay, _fine_. But only one match.” Yuu lifts his stick, giving in, and offers the blonde a small, crooked grin. Mika beams.  
“For the glory of the orphanage!” He declares, raising the stick.  
Yuu scoffs. “You can’t say that, idiot, we’re from the same orphanage. And it’s not even a real orphanage!”  
“True, true, but it’s _my_ band of orphans, and our base is in the shack that _I_ found. Therefore, I have claim over it and its inhabitants. So, really, you lifting your sword against me is treason and mutiny.”  
“ _This is a stick_. And it was your idea to—”  
“ _Mutiny!_ ” Laughing, Mika darts forward, swinging the stick in a downwards arc toward Yuu’s head. Yuu leaps back and lifts his own stick to block Mika, who immediately twists his wrists to the side and rushes forward again, driving the stick into Yuu’s unprotected stomach. Yuu yelps and falls back onto the grass, holding his stick perpendicular to his body to block Mika’s instantaneous attack. Taking a page out of Mika’s book, Yuu twists and jabs his stick at Mika’s thigh, and the blonde springs back in alarm. Yuu takes advantage of the moment to pull himself up and rushes at Mika, waving his stick with one hand and clutching his stomach with the other. The two clash sticks over and over, dancing across the field in a flurry of movement. The cows glance their way, watching with disinterested eyes as Mika laughs and tosses taunts to his friend, who reciprocates with curses and growls and insults.  
When it’s over, the two of them lie side by side in the grass, panting and worn out, sticks discarded at their sides. Neither can claim victory.  
For as long as Mika can remember, neither of them have _ever_ claimed victory in one of these games, although they often bicker about it for hours afterwards. They’re only sticks, Mika knows, but some part of him blanches at the thought of killing Yuu, even in play. He assumes that Yuu feels the same way, for despite his cocky grins and declarations that he will definitely win, the brunette has yet to land a killing blow on the blonde, and vice versa, although both have had plenty of opportunities.  
But, even so…  
“I won,” Mika declares, rolling over to face Yuu. “Now you have to do whatever I want.”  
“Heh?!” Yuu sits up. “No you didn’t! It was a draw!”  
“Nope,” Mika sits up, too, shaking leaves out of his hair. “I got you in the stomach, and you didn’t get any of my vitals, so that means I technically won.”  
Yuu sighs, and Mika knows it’s because, after all these years, he’s learnt that there really is no point arguing with his substantially more eloquent friend. “Fine. What do you want?”  
Mika hums, gazing across the field at the cows and pretending to think. Pretending that he hasn’t been planning this since the last time they played. Maybe since the first time.  
“Hmm…” _Tell me you love me. Or show me. Both would be pleasant._  
“Stop dragging it out, asshole. Just tell me already.”  
Mika looks into those ever-green eyes and blurts, “You have to cook my favorite food for me tonight.” _Shit_.  
“What, curry? Like we have the ingredients for that.”  
“Yeah? Go home and check. You may be surprised.”  
Yuu’s eyes widen. “You got food again?”  
“Yup,” Mika grins.  
“Goddammit, Mika, how do you keep doing that?”  
Mika’s smile wavers. “I… have my ways.”  
Yuu opens his mouth, eyes flashing, and Mika braces himself for another argument, for Yuu to yell at him for going behind his back again, to ask him how he’s getting this food and _if he’s doing something bad so help him—_  
But Yuu deflates, shoulders slumping, and shakes his head. “Okay. I won’t ask.” In the distance, a bell tolls, and both boys flinch.  
“Come on, Yuu-chan. Let’s go find Akane and the kids.” _It’s time._

Akane, the oldest girl of the orphans, is waiting for them at the town center, surrounded by a gaggle of kids who all attach themselves to Mika the moment he comes into sight. Mika smiles fondly down at them, struggling to get a word in amongst their hugs and laughter and cries of _“Mika-nii-chan!”_  
They are young, most not yet in their teens. They have nothing to worry about; they won’t be picked. At least, that’s what Mika wants to believe. But this is the Quarter Quell, and anything goes. Mika holds his kids a little tighter.  
_His kids._ It’s funny; after all this time, he’s come to think of them as his. He’s only a few years older than the youngest of them, but he found them, he took them in and gave them a home and a family, and he’s kept them safe and well fed for the past eight years. Without them, he has nothing. Without them, he _is_ nothing.  
In the distance, a bell tolls. The kids detach themselves from Mika, turning solemnly towards the drab stone plaza, watching the rest of the town slowly filter in. Up on the stage, several Peacekeepers stand beside this year’s District 10 escort, a tall man with silvery hair and the sort of half-grin of someone who knows something you don’t. By his side is a single table, upon which rests a single glass bowl, filled with shreds of paper. Mika feels sick. _There should be two._  
“Welcome,” the man on the stage calls as Mika leads his family deep into the crowd, “to the one hundred and twenty-fifth Hunger Games!” He smiles amiably and continues.“My name is Hiiragi Shinya. As you know, this year is a Quarter Quell, so this year, the Reaping will be a little different. This year, anyone can be picked, regardless of age or gender.” Shinya gestures towards the bowl as he says this, and the smile disappears, turning his face somber and almost sad. “I will now draw the first name.” There is a pause as his hand lingers over the glass bowl, and he turns briefly to the crowd, a pitying smile flickering across his face. _“May the odds be ever in your favor.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MIKA's POV: Insomnia_Productions (odd chapters)
> 
> YUU'S POV: FandomPandaBear (even chapters)
> 
>  
> 
> Let's see just how far this insanity goes~


	2. The Seraph Pin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A name is reaped, a volunteer steps forward, and a seraph pin is procured.

Shinya dips his gloved hands into the bowl. It swims around the names--strips of paper with each and every name of every person in the district. Yuu’s palms have become clammy. He rubs his palms against his fingers. His shoulders tense, he feels his heart beating out against his chest, ringing in his ears.

_ ba-dum _

Please not Mika

_ ba-dum _

Please not me

_ ba-dum _

Shinya pulls out a strip, slowly, carefully. His wrists gracefully bring the strip upwards. He holds the strip there, quivering against the winds. From where he is--smushed against the many bodies of the District Ten population--he can see that he has blue eyes. Not bright blue of Mika’s, no, not as brilliant as his. They are a darker shade. Like the lake water where Mika and the kids used to play in. They glittered just like it too, reflecting white shards of light, concealing the murky depths underneath. 

Shinya takes the strip with his other hand, fondling it. He holds it up horizontally, between his forefinger and thumb in both hands. There is a pause, a rather long pause, as Shinya reads the strip, arms outstretched, containing the name of the first chosen tribute. The person, the unlucky, chosen tribute who will be sent to participate in the Games.

That child could be him.

That child could be Mika.

Yuu sends a silent prayer. He doesn't believe in a god. After all what ‘god’ would ever allow such future to exist? If a god existed, they would have saved the children, save all twenty-four of them each year sent to die. There couldn’t possibly be a god who would ever allow this, allow the Games, and yet Yuu continues to pray. He’s done this every year, he continues to do so. He prays that it won’t be him, that it won’t be Mika. If there is actually is any form of a malevolent god out there, he pleads to them. 

Shiny drops his arms to his side. He stands there, straight and firm, his feet together and posture impeccably perfect. Almost like a peacekeeper. Not what he expected from the smiling escort.

_ Please please please please _

Yuu stares at his eyes, fist clenched. Shinya’s eyes were rather cold. Intense and hard. Nothing like Mika’s beautiful eyes. Contrary to Yuu’s expectations, he bears no smile this time.

_ Please please please _

“Shindou Mikaela.”

 

Mika.

It’s Mika

_ His _ Mika.

Every year he gives a prayer to whatever god out there may or may not be listening. Why is it different this time? 

Yuu turns to his left. Mika is staring at the podium. His bright blue eyes are wide. He steps forward. 

The crowd immediately parts to form a direct path to the stone stage. Mika walks along the path. His footsteps echo against deafening silence as the soles of his shoes meet stone.

This cannot happen. This cannot be allowed. He prayed didn’t he? He prayed for Mika to not be chosen. He prayed hard enough. He definitely did. Why is Mika not saved?

_ Mika…  _ He outstretches his arms to him, he whispers his name. Yuu is at the far end of the parted crowd, at the butt of the formed path. He continues to whisper Mika’s name to himself.  _ Mika. Mika. Mika _ . Is he crying?

Mika continues to walk up to the podium. He’s already halfway there. Yuu screams Mika’s name in his head to himself. He’s pleading to Sanguinem, to Shinya, to whatever god there is or isn’t,  _ PLEASE. NOT MIKA. JUST NOT MIKA.  _ He is undoubtedly crying. He screams his name.  _ MIKA!!  _ He isn’t sure if he said that out loud.

The crowd turns to him. Obviously he did.

Even Shinya is somewhat surprised. Through the blur of tears, he sees the silver-haired man lean out to catch sight of him. 

“I…….I…….”

He sees Mika turn around. His fluffy blonde hair sways back the way Yuu always admired. Yuu sees his eyes, his blue eyes--his beautiful blue eyes. They belong to Yuu.

Mika belongs to Yuu.

Yuu has always dreamed of spending the rest of his remaining life with Mika. Playing with sword sticks in the field, laughing together in the lakes of District Ten and eating dinner together with the orphanage. He loved the idea of spending cold nights with Mika, lulled to sleep by the warmth of Mika’s body around his own.

He wants those eyes back.

He wants those eyes for himself. 

He will do everything he can to keep those eyes safe.

“I…..”

Yuu thrusts his hand upwards

“I volunteer as tribute!”

 

Mika runs to Yuu. He grips his arms, bringing down the raised one. 

“Yuu-chan,  you can’t!”

Yuu stares at him. He sees the tears well up within his eyes. His hands are trembling. Ironic; before the reaping, to make Mika cry was the last thing on his task list. Nothing would be worse to pollute his beautiful blue eyes--innocent and kind against the District Ten backdrop. But tears are the only thing keeping them bonded together now. 

Mika screams, “YUU-CHAN YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” His head drops and his blonde, silky hair falls around his face. His arms are trembling harder. “I can’t lose you.” Yuu hears Mika choke on his tears. “If you go, I’ll lose you.”

“Let me do this for you. Please.”  
“Yuu-chan!” Mika weeps, his head moves to the crook of Yuu’s neck, his arms wrap around him in a hug. 

“Don’t take all the weight Mika. The orphanage needs you.” He wraps his arms around Mika’s neck in reply. “They can manage without me.” Yuu says, as he pushes Mika off, making sure to be gentle. He steps forward. He raises his hand and shouts, once again. “I volunteer as tribute,” as he attempts to hold his tears back. He must keep himself firm. He must not show weakness.

“Then…. I volunteer, too!” Mika runs forward and raises his arm.

_ “ _ Mika-”

“Well….uh….um...” the silver-haired man stammers. Shinya himself was taken aback by the scene the two boys made, or so he seemed to Yuu through the blur of salty tears. “I guess you’ll both be tributes then!” he smiles, that pitying half-grin from before. 

He beckons them to come up to the platform. Both Mika and Yuu climb the stone steps. Their footsteps echo across the square, as the entirety of the district silently watch.

When was the last time the district has had a volunteer? Yuu can’t remember. For a district as poor as Ten, they rarely ever won, much less volunteer--even more so, _ two  _ of them. Doing so for the Games would be equivalent to jumping off a cliff. 

And yet, Yuu is here. Doing just that. He might as well jump off a cliff.

But that won’t save Mika. 

But he volunteered, too. 

Mika turns left as Yuu turns right. They faces the crowd with Shinya beside them. He feels the dry remains of tears linger against his cheeks. Shinya takes hold of Yuu’s wrist, and presumably Mika’s as well. He extravagantly swings them up into the air. He keeps them there in his grasp--as is customary for every Reaping. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Shinya’s voice booms across the square, “District Ten’s Quarter Quell tributes!”

  
  


They were brought inside the district building behind the stone stage. The peacekeepers wanted to bring Mika into a separate room, across the building’s hall. Only thanks to Shinya, who ordered the peacekeepers to leave them be together, that they could do so. 

Mika and Yuu sit on the velvet couch. It’s a square room. With a single window on the back wall, opposite the door. The glass is translucent with frosted glass, and they are unable to see beyond the rectangular sheathe of white. However Mika tells Yuu it probably faces the district square. It filters in gray sunlight and is the only source of light the entire room has. The room is lined with ornate velvet furniture. The couch they sat on is located perpendicular to the ebony door, backed up to the wall. It is ornamented with swirls of red on the legs and exquisite fabric. The arms of it are rounded and curving, so that it created an illusion of grace to the sanguine furniture. Across from them sits a very large and flamboyant chair. It had the same swirly patterns along the wooden legs and fabric, as well as the curves and design. Similarly so for the carpet beneath them, overspreading the mahogany floor. It is by far, the fanciest and reddest room either of them have ever been in. 

Yuu’s head is in Mika’s lap, his legs pulled into his chest. He follows the swirls of the chair across from him with his eyes. Mika is tracing the similar swirls of the couch.

He doesn’t know how long they’re in the room. An hour? Maybe two? He’s been watching the filtered sunlight darken and lighten upon the room, watching the minor changes in light against the red swirls. He can’t think.

He can’t afford to.

He can’t cry. He needs to be strong. They’re both going into the Games together. Only one can come out alive. It’s not likely to be either of them. 

Yuu can feel the tears well up in his eyes. Why did Mika volunteer? If he let Yuu fight in the games for him, there was a chance--however slim--he could live, and to return home to Mika. Why did he volunteer? The first tear has just begun to fall when the door jerks open.

_ “Mika-nii-chan!!” “Yuu-nii-chan!!”  _ The gaggle of orphaned children fly into the room, possibly quite literally, it’s hard to tell. Yuu sits up on the couch as they tackle the pair in a frenzy of small limbs and mismatched clothes. Clothes that Mika had either acquired or made for all of them at one point. Immediately they are overtaken by a blitz of trite questions,“Why are you going away?” “Don’t leave us!!” “We love you Mika-chan!!!” “Do you both have to go?” are some of the few Yuu can actually make out. Several of the children are crying to the pair’s bodies, clinging tightly to a shoulder or a waist. 

It’s like they’re fathers. Even though Mika his only a few years ahead of the youngest of them, they could have been fathers to the orphans. They seem to already take the role. It’s a life they could have had.

That is, if Mika wasn’t chosen.

And if he didn’t volunteer.

At the door, Akane patiently, silently, walks into the room. She was smiling, amiably. Almost like Shinya’s. But kinder. Its definitely kinder. Its genuine.

Akane is the second oldest child of the orphanage, right behind Mika. She’s only a few months behind the blonde-haired boy. She’s been with Mika for as long as Yuu can remember. She always cooked for the children and cares for them just as much, and has done well to care for all of them. She still does.

“Yuu-chan, Mika-chan.” Her quiet voice rises above the group of tireless orphans. Both the boys glance to the mousy-haired girl.

She walks in, eyes red. Has she been crying?

She runs up to the boys and wraps her arms around them,  her head between the two boys. She’s wearing the mismatched clothes of the orphanage; a tattered orange shirt on and a silky, light yellow dress, with a patch of it missing on the bottom edge. She hugs them tighter. 

Upon closer inspection, Akane had definitely been crying. She still is. Yuu feels the damp, salty remains of tears against his cheek as it brushed against Akane’s.

She lets go of both of them, as do the other children. However Akane kneels in front of the two boys when the others explore the room.

“The Games rules say that each tribute can bring token from their district….” she says. The dark-haired girl produces a metal pin from her pocket. She holds it out in front of the boys, cupped in her hands. It’s pin is a circular golden ring, a figure of a golden seraph occupying the space within it. The wings extending slightly out of the ring’s outer borders. It was beautiful, graceful and majestic. He couldn’t help but see Mika as the seraph. After all, he was just as elegant.

Yuu had heard stories of seraphs from the older employers they sometimes run odd-jobs for. The six-winged angels are the most powerful of their kind--or anything really. They were said to be valiant and formidable. Powerful than even the peacekeepers that controlled the districts and far more so than Sanguinem itself. Of course, they are just stories. Just bullshit from the elderly--who are far too old and insane for anyone’s worth. They are merely stories.

“This pin is for you. Both of you” Akane says.

“Aihira-san said that whoever has the pin has the of the angels on their side....or something like that when I showed it to her….and I just thought….since you’re going into the Games….you might need it….” her hands quaver violently. She begins crying. She gasps at her tears as she attempts to speak again, “I’m sorry I could only afford one….” she stretches out her hand for Mika to take it. She bows her head, Yuu can tell she is trying to hold the tears back. “Take it. Please.”

Mika holds her hands with one and places another atop Akane’s. “Thank you, Akane-chan.” Mika flashes a smile at her, gentle and benign.“Thank you” he says, squeezing Akane’s hands. 

Mika takes the pin and slides it into the pocket of his shorts.

 

Several of the children of the orphanage go back to clinging and hug Mika and Yuu, though mostly to Mika. Others have made they’re way to the velvet chair and are playing around with the ornate designs. Akane sits on her knees as Mika goes over everything she must do to keep the orphanage running smoothly while they’re gone.

_ While they’re gone.  _ As if they will come back. Even in the slim chance that they won, only one would be able to survive. Only one can come home--if that was even mildly possible. Yet Mika still must always be the one to assure all is well, as he usually does, as it is true. 

_ Not this time, Mika.  _

“Ehem,” A peacekeeper stands in the doorframe. Somehow he managed to open the door without making a sound. He wears standard peacekeeper uniform, a stark white cloak, with the hood concealing his face. It seemed to be strange for a soldier to standardly use a cloak as uniform. But underneath, Yuu knows that he has a sword in its sheath. His outfit was not aerodynamic or helpful in battle at all. Yuu learned this the hard way, when he once found an old cape and then challenged Mika to a  swordfight immediately after. However Yuu has also seen the peacekeepers in action. They were quick and agile, supernaturally so. They moved through the air like arrows, and can strike their swords through hearts just as instantaneously, another teaching he saw….learned... the hard way.

“That’s our call, Yuu-chan!” Mika says with his soft smile, just finishing up advising Akane on her newfound duties. His eyes glisten against the dreary gray light. He stands and walks out the door. Yuu follows likewise. Mika turns his head back at the last minute to the group of children when he reaches the doorway. 

“Bye you guys! We’ll be back soon!” He says, smiling again and waving his hand. He then walks out the door promptly, following the peacekeeper, without another word.

Before Yuu follows, he whips his head back to take one  _ final _ look at his family. 

_ His family _ . Yuu can’t remember how long he had been with them. All he ever did was run odd jobs often with Mika and sometimes without. That was his role; work and provide. But they were his family all the same. They were worth the long days of boredom watching cattle or feeding chickens. They were his orphanage, his family, his children. 

He smiles at them, this may be the last time he ever sees them again. He’s going to remember them in the Games.

He has to. 

Yuu nods his head at Akane, who is keeping the kids huddled together as he left the room. They weren’t crying.

At least he hopes not.

He walks out of the doorway, catching up to his fair-haired companion down the corridor. Whatever god he prayed to didn’t answer his prayer, or maybe they simply do not exist. Maybe the seraphs will do a better job--that is, in the unlikely possibility they would be real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaand introducing Yuu/FandomPandaBear! ^-^
> 
>  
> 
> So I re-uploaded this with better spacing because SOMEBODY FUCKED IT UP EHEMMMMMMMMMM  
> I'm so sorry you had to see my shitty writing. Have some good stuff at the next chapter. (You know it's good because it's not mine)  
> -FPB


	3. Trains, Tears, and Chicken Nuggets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mika and Yuu are on their way to Sanguinem, and the implications of what he has done begin to weigh on Mika's mind. 
> 
> Meanwhile, the implications of his wonderful new discovery—chicken nuggets—begin to weigh on Yuu's stomach. 
> 
> (yes it's got yuunugget and I'm not sorry)

In the train, Mika sits, once again, on a crimson couch adorned in swirling silver thread, but unlike before, Yuu is sitting beside him, on whole cushion’s length away. He is not looking at Mika, eyes fixed instead on the door Shinya left through a few moments ago. Already, Mika misses the warmth of his best friend’s head in his lap.  
“Yes, right this way.” Mika’s eyes slide away from Yuu and back to the door as it begins to open, Shinya’s cheerful voice floating through as he tugs a dark-haired man along by the wrist. To his surprise, Mika recognizes this man, and from the way Yuu stiffens, apparently he does, too. This man is a legend in their district. He is—  
“Ichinose Guren,” Shinya announces, settling himself on the couch across from them and gesturing for the other man to sit beside him. “District Ten’s only victor.” He smiles at Guren, and then at Mika and Yuu. “As a victor, he will be your mentor. He will advise you on how to look, how to act, how to fight, and how to present yourselves to people of Sanguinem. Guren, why don’t you say hello?”  
Guren sighs. “Hello, brats. As the freak said, it’s my job to increase your chances of survival, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up, because I’ve been doing this shit for four years now, and as you can see, I haven’t been very successful.”  
“ _Guren_ ,” Shinya chides, ignoring the insult. “Don’t be so pessimistic. I’ve worked with you for four years, and I think you’re an _excellent_ mentor.” He smiles genuinely at Guren, and Mika takes a moment to reevaluate his initial impressions of the white-haired man. He works for Sanguinem, but at least he doesn’t seem disdainful of the Districts and their people; rather, he is friendly and sympathetic, and it seems as though he’s taken quite a shine to Guren.  
“Anyway,” Shinya continues. “It’s been a long day, and I’m sure you two just want to be alone. I’ll show you to your rooms and have someone send some snacks for you, and I’ll just leave you alone after that, all right? Just remember to come back here for dinner at eight.”  
“Um, Shinya?” Mika ventures, eyes flickering briefly to Yuu. “Can we… share a room? I mean, only if Yuu-chan wants to.”  
Yuu’s response is instantaneous—“ _Yes._ I mean, y-yeah, sure, whatever you want.”—and Mika can’t help but feel elated.  
Shinya looks surprised, but his face quickly softens and he smiles. “My, you two really are quite attached, aren’t you?” His eyes sharpen and he hums thoughtfully. “We could use that to your advantage in Sanguinem, don’t you think, Guren? Very well, you may share a room.”  
Ten minutes, Mika and Yuu are standing in their new room, gazing around in awe as a silent attendant scuttles in, sets a platter down on a table, and scuttles out.  
“...Wow,” Yuu says at last.  
“Wow,” Mika echoes.  
The room is large, far too large for a room _in a train_. There’s a large bed, one that could fit their whole family, in the center of the room, with a maroon blanket and a mountain of silvery pillows. The platter brought by the servant is dark and shiny, accompanied by two cushioned chairs, the whole set-up placed next to a large window. Outside, Mika can see the walls of the Districts shuttling past. On the other side of the room is a closet built into the wall, inside of which is a whole array of clothing, ranging from pajamas to casual wear to robes fit for kings. Beneath Mika’s feet is a fluffy silver carpet, decorated with stark splashes of red. It’s beautiful, but Mika can’t suppress a shiver—it looks like blood.  
The blood of the fallen tributes before them. Blood that could soon be his, or worse, Yuu-chan’s. Mika doesn’t realize he’s trembling until Yuu’s arms wrap around him.  
“Mika,” he whispers, and Mika wants to kiss him and wants to punch him.  
_Why did Yuu-chan have to volunteer?_ He was terrified when Shinya read his name out, of course he was, but at least it was just him, at least _Yuu-chan was safe_. But then Yuu just _had_ to volunteer in his place… so of course Mika volunteered, too.  
He knows it was selfish of him, selfish to leave the kids, to leave Akane, just to be with Yuu. Mika isn’t a selfish person. His whole life, he has only done what is good for others, selflessly giving up everything, taking on all the weight, as Yuu put it, for the sake of his family. It’s how he’s kept his family fed all these years—by _giving up everything_ to the Head Peacekeeper. But, just this once, he couldn’t do it, couldn’t make the choice to stay and protect his family. Because between _Yuu-chan_ and _the family_ , Yuu-chan always comes first. For a long time, Mika denied it, telling himself he wasn’t partial to Yuu or anything—he just had to work extra hard to take care of him, because Yuu is an impulsive idiot who’d get himself killed in seconds without Mika to get him out of all the trouble he gets himself into. But that’s not true, is it? He’s partial to Yuu, so very partial, because he loves him and he would rather _abandon his family_ than watch Yuu-chan walk away. The revelation makes Mika feel warm and makes him feel sick.  
_I’m a terrible person_ , Mika thinks, feeling the sting of salt in his eyes. _I’ve abandoned my kids to stay with Yuu-chan and I can’t even bring myself to tell him why._  
Yuu begins to walk, gently leading Mika onto the bed. They sink into the pillows together, Yuu’s arms still wrapped firmly around Mika as tears begin to roll down his cheeks. It’s the first time Mika’s let Yuu see him cry, but Yuu doesn’t say anything, just strokes Mika’s hair and holds him closer.  
“Y-Yuu-chan?” Mika mumbles into Yuu’s chest.  
“Yeah?”  
“Why did you volunteer? It was just me… you could have stayed and taken care of the kids, so why—”  
“Don’t be an idiot,” Yuu interrupts. “Like hell I’d leave you on your own in the Games.” He laughs into Mika’s hair. “You’re so fucking _nice_ , you’d probably end up trying to make friends with all the other tributes, and get yourself killed before the Games even began.”  
“I’m not that nice,” Mika whispers. “I abandoned everyone to stay with you.”  
“Yeah, well, so did I, so I guess we’re both assholes.”  
Mika laughs through his tears, and the two lie in silence for a long while. After a few minutes, Yuu speaks again.  
“Mika?”  
“Mm.”  
He hesitates. “Mika… what did you really do, to get us all that food?”  
Mika doesn’t respond for a moment, a soft sigh escaping him as his fingers curl around Yuu’s collar.  
“I think you already know, Yuu-chan.” 

 

At eight, Mika and Yuu sit across the table from Shinya and Guren. The two adults are dressed in formal suits, but Mika and Yuu are still in their own clothes, unable to let go of their last pieces of home.  
Dinner is silent for a long time; even Shinya doesn’t try to make conversation. And then, the silence is broken.  
“WHAT IS THIS DIVINE CREATION?!”  
Mika nearly jumps out of his seat when Yuu suddenly screams through a mouthful of something soft, gold, and crispy.  
Shinya chuckles. “That, Yuuichirou, is a chicken nugget.”  
Yuu squints at the nuggets on his plate. “Nugget? As in, a gold nugget?” His face brightens; he looks like a little kid, his sorrow and fear temporarily gone. “But these are better than gold. Way better!”  
Mika smiles fondly as Yuu piles his plate with chicken nuggets, trying not to think about how much the kids would have loved all this food.  
After dinner—once the chicken nuggets are all completely gone—Mika and Yuu walk slowly back to their bedroom. The whole way back, Yuu chatters animatedly about the joys of Rich People Food, and Mika is only half listening, one hand in his pocket, weaving the seraph pin through his fingers.  
“Yuu-chan.”  
Yuu stops, turning to glance confusedly at Mika. “Yeah?”  
Mika takes out the pin and steps forward, fastening it over Yuu’s heart. “I want you to keep this.” He grins, only half joking. “You need it more than I do.”  
Yuu frowns, eyes questioning, but, seeing the look in Mika’s eyes, he lets it go and resumes his walk.  
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he calls nonchalantly over his shoulder, disappearing into their room. “But you’ll have to take it back from me when we go home, or Akane will be mad.”  
Mika smiles sadly and follows, already feeling the heaviness of the empty space in his pocket where the pin once was.  
_Oh, Yuu-chan. Don’t you see? I’m not going back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we-e-ell.... that got sad quickly... haha... sorry, Mika...


	4. It's a Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuu meets Rene as his stylist for the first time. And they get ready for the parade.
> 
> *breathed in deeply*  
> I suck at this.
> 
> -FPB

Yuu had exchanged the dirty rags he came in for a clean robe, as well as bathed in an adjoining bathroom. He’s cleaner than he has been in a very long time. He now sits in a small room. It is stark white and square, with two identical red velvet couched with extravagant swirling gold patterns--a common design he had noticed. The couches face each other with a round coffee table in between. A window is next to the set-up, reaching from the edge of the ceiling to the floor. It gave a wonderful view of the city.

The capitol was probably bigger than the entirety District Ten itself. It was dim, only lit by the nebulous glow of city lights. Macabre stalactites hang from the distant roof of the cavern.

_Maybe I can get more of those nuggets..._

It didn’t take as long as Yuu expected to arrive in Sanguinem. The city was only a day’s ride away by train. Upon arrival, they were immediately brought into the living quarters for the tributes. Begrudgingly, he was also immediately separated with Mika.

A door swings open into the room, a man enters. He wears a white cloak that elegeantly hangs off his shoulders. It has the Sanguinem insignia etched in black ink.

“District Ten? Hm?” He says while he plops down on the couch across from Yuu. He’s very pale, even for Sanguinem standards. He has dark hair with a soft silver glow to it, similar to how Mika has a golden one to his. “Interesting….it will be very interesting to see what I can do with you…” He crosses his legs, sitting with perfect posture. “My name is Rene. I am your stylist for the Games.”

_So this is what a stylist is…._

Yuu had always imagined stylists to be slightly more...enthusiastic. But this pale man spoke phlegmatically. He simply looks bored; his eyes gray and dull and the corners of his mouth turned down. He even _speaks_ as if he couldn’t care less. It seemed as if Sanguinem was to burn instantaneously right at that moment, no fucks would have been given. He seemed to be incapable of any other emotion other than apathy, and if he was he wouldn’t care enough to try.

“I understand your name is Yuuchirou-”

“Do you know where Mika is?!”

“You mean the other District Ten tribute? He’s with Lacus, _his_ stylist. He’s perfectly fine.”

Yuu leans back on the couch, relieved. _Mika is safe. Good._

“He has nice hair, good eyes too. Wonderful features…..”

_He’s not wrong._

“But let’s get straight down to business, shall we, Yuuichirou?” Rene pulls out a sketchbook and a pencil from inside his cloak. “It’s the Quarter Quell this year so I want to make your outfit special.” He places the sketchbook on his lap and begins to sketch. “I was thinking a traditional farmer’s look. Like how they used to look in the old stories, if you’ve ever read any of them.”

Yuu protests, “How is that different from last year? And doesn’t that sound like District Eleven?”

“So you haven’t read any old stories. Of course not.” He sighs,“Well, nonetheless it reflects the District’s main product--livestock. So we’re sticking with it.”

Yuu nods along, only half-attentive. _What would Mika be doing right now?..._

“But here’s the surprise…” Rene scribbles furiously on his sketchbook. “You click a button and then we unleash it…”

“What is it?” Yuu tries to lean over the coffee table at an attempt to peek at Rene’s drawings. But the dark-haired man only clutches his sketchbook tighter. He remains dispassionate.

“I told you, It’s a surprise.”

 

Yuu and Mika stand at their chariot together. It’s intricate, bronze with streaks of red defining it. The horses are strikingly similar to the chariot--also bronze and with an occasional splash of red here and there. Rene and Lacus--Mika’s stylist--are standing next to them.

They seem to be in some kind of chariot docking bay. It’s a long stone rectangle. A pair of the largest doors Yuu has ever seen loom before the tributes on one end of the room. They glint with gold despite the dank darkness. Eleven other similar chariots with varying colors and horses are present as well, organized in a perfectly straight line by District number, with One at the front directly behind the gates and Twelve at the rear of the line.

Their costumes share an astonishing resemblance to the District Ten slaughterhouse workers. Yuu has coveralls, with a red and white checkered button-up shirt underneath. He’s wearing a straw hat. Mika is wearing the same coveralls but with a blue and white checkered button-up shirt underneath, and he’s is wearing some kind of leather hat, with a high crown and wide brim. (Rene calls it a cowboy hat.) It looks utterly stupid, yet Yuu’s fair-haired companion always finds a way to make anything he wears appear marvelous.

  


A woman's voice through a loudspeaker instructs the tributes to prepare for the gates to open. The two companions board their chariot accordingly.

Lacus hands Mika a black circular device of some sort, “Press it when you think you’re ready.”

“What is it?” Yuu inquires.

Rene smiles. “It’s the surprise.”

The golden gates groan open. The cheers of the crowds blare in their ears as the first of the chariots make their way. Yuu sees Rene and Lacus wave at the two young boys off as their horses begin to trot forward.

Mika takes Yuu’s hand in his own. He squeezes it. Yuu does likewise in silent reply.

Yuu sees Mika smiling from the corner of his eye. His partner’s eyes are a light azure today. They have a promising gleam to them.

“Ready Yuu-chan?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.
> 
> You've endured this much of my shit writing.  
> Time for Insomnia's turn.
> 
> Now you can get to the not-shit stuff.
> 
> ALSO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE. WE JUST SORT OF FORGOT ABOUT IT. I WAS SUPPOSED TO UPDATE THIS TIME BUT I FORGOT ABOUT IT. FORGVIVE ME.


	5. Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the parade begins. 
> 
> — Insomnia

“Ready, Yuu-chan?” 

Yuu gives a small nod, and Mika turns away, looking forward as the chariot emerges into the City Circle. Instantly, the cacophony of shouting voices floods the air. Mika flinches as they proceed down the runway, taking in the rabid excitement of the people in the stands. By his side, Yuu is scowling, his eyes dark. Mika nudges him gently, offering him a half smile. 

“Don’t look so ominous,” he chides. “We want them to like us.” 

“Whatever,” Yuu grumbles back, but when he faces the crowd his lips are quirked up in a grudging smile. “Should we…” 

“Give it a moment.” Mika’s eyes scan the crowd, looking over the people he will be relying on in the Arena. For a moment, blue eyes meet dark, dark crimson. Everyone here has eyes the color of blood, but something about these seems different from the rest. These eyes are sharp and cold, unimpressed by what has the other citizens in such a tizzy. They pierce Mika like arrows, a silent challenge. The chariot draws closer, closer to where those eyes are in the stands, and Mika’s hand tightens on the device. 

“Now?” Yuu whispers, feeling him tense. 

“Now.” 

Mika presses the button, and then feels a searing heat as blue flames lick at his clothes, mingling with the green fire doing the same to Yuu. Gasps echo through the stands as the people lean forward in their seats, watching as the farmers’ clothes burn away, the ashes fluttering behind them as the chariot continues to rush forward. Mika’s hat flies away with them. 

Mika’s eyes flit to the side. Yuu is now dressed in a black uniform with knee-length black boots. A cloak with a collar reaching up to brush his cheeks flaps around him, its black fabric lifting up to reveal the green on the other side. But most impressive of all is the long, branch-like wing erupting from his right shoulder. It is as dark as the night, and flickers like a pitch black fire. 

It’s terrifying. 

Then Mika feels a weight on his own shoulder, and tilts his head to the side to see a wing of his own stretching out to his left. The opposite of Yuu’s, it is a stark white. While Yuu’s is chaos, Mika’s wing is order; it is a bird’s wing stripped of its feathers, leaving only the ivory bone, smooth as polished marble and sharp as the eyes of the challenger in the stands. Mika’s gaze travels down the wing and to his own uniform. Once again the opposite of Yuu’s, Mika’s uniform is white. Rather than a cloak, a white cape flaps behind him, attached to his shoulders, and he looks down to see thigh-high brown boots.

The chariot is slowing, now, and they come to a stop amidst the chariots of the other districts, gathered around the circle as the crowd begins to quiet. Before them lies the Queen’s palace, a shining structure of marble and, as Yuu would put it, the damned souls of every person who had died in these Games. 

“People of Sanguinem!” Mika looks up to see a small woman with fierce eyes and long, pink hair standing on a balcony of the palace.  _ Krul Tepes. The Queen of Sanguinem.  _ “Welcome to the start of the twenty-fifth Hunger Games!” 

She begins to talk, but Mika isn’t paying attention. Instead, his eyes are on the screens on either side of the balcony, flickering as images of each of the tributes flash across them. Mika sees purple hair and brown eyes, sees rectangular glasses and a shock of pink, sees wide olive eyes and a brown fringe, sees blond pigtails and a determined frown. None of them look a day older than he is. 

And then the chariots are moving again, making a second round of the stadium before disappearing back into the Training Center. The doors swing shut, and Mika sags, relieved for a moment of peace. He doesn’t get it. 

Immediately, the room is swarming with stylists all clamouring around their tributes, gushing praise and doling out reproach. Mika feels a hand close around his wrist and lets out a startled yell as he is wrenched away from Yuu, finding himself encased in a tight hug as Lacus laughs into his ear. 

“You were  _ great  _ out there! All proud and regal, but just the right amount of soft and young… I’m so  _ proud  _ of you!” He steps back, smirking. “And myself, of course. I’m  _ very  _ proud of myself.” 

Mika blinks at him.  _ Does this guy not know what he’s dressing us up for…?  _ “Um… thanks,” he says at last, managing to give his stylist a genuine smile.  _ I suppose he means well. _

Lacus waves him off. “Sure, sure, hold your thanks for now. We’ve barely gotten started.” His eyes flash. “Just wait until your interviews. I am going to make you a  _ prince _ .” 

Mika’s smile wavers. A grassy field full of daisies flashes through his mind. But Lacus is already gripping his wrist again, tugging him away. 

“Come on, now, I’ll get that wing off you before you kill someone.” 

 

Sanguinem is a dark place, wrought with corruption and ignorance, but Mika has to admit, their showers are  _ phenomenal.  _ He spends a full half hour standing in there and playing with all the options for temperature, as well as the variety of soaps, oils, massagers, and music, and only stops at thirty minutes because Yuu’s insistent banging on the door and yelling for him to get out already has become a slight annoyance. 

Mika slips into a comfortable pair of jeans and a loose T-shirt and joins Yuu in their shared room. The other has already showered, it seems, in another room, and is dressed in clothes similar to Mika’s. He smirks from his spot on the bed when Mika comes out, raising an eyebrow. 

“Thirty-four minutes and twenty-one seconds. You diva.” 

Mika throws a towel at him. “Shut up.” 

Yuu tosses the towel aside, laughing, and sinks further into the pillows. “These people know how to live in luxury.” He sighs. “Imagine if the kids could have all this…” 

Mika swallows a rush of guilt and flops onto the bed, curling his fingers around Yuu’s. 

“That surprise was really something, huh?” 

Yuu hums. “Mm, yeah,” he concedes, and Mika silently thanks him for allowing the subject change. “The wings were a nice touch.” 

“Yeah.” They lie in silence for a moment longer, and then Yuu sits up. 

“We should probably get going. Guren and Shinya will want to discuss our plan for tomorrow over dinner.” 

Mika groans, but manages to peel himself off the soft bed, joining Yuu as they meander down the hall and to the dining room. 

 

As it turns out, Guren and Shinya are too busy bickering to plan anything. When Mika and Yuu enter the room, the two men are already in the middle of an argument in the center of the room. From the couch, Lacus beams at Mika, waving him over as the two continue to fight. Rene is there, too, and the four of them sit on the couch and watch as Guren rages. Shinya, for his part, seems to be struggling to hide a laugh. 

“What happened?” Mika whispers. 

Lacus just smirks, handing him a bowl of popcorn. “Just watch. I’ll explain in a moment.” 

_ “Shinya Hiragi I swear to— _ ” 

“Now, now, Guren,” Shinya laughs, waving his hands in front of his face. “Calm down, it was just a  _ little  _ kiss…” 

“ _ Shut up _ . You are the  _ worst,  _ most  _ infuriating  _ person I have  _ ever _ —” 

“Ah, come on, Guren, you know you love me~” 

“ _ I would sell you to Satan for a grape. _ ” 

Mika shakes his head and puts some of the popcorn in his mouth. “Never mind, Lacus. I… really don’t want to know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY PANDA I WAS GOING TO WRITE MORE BUT THEN I COULDNT SO NOW YOU HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
> 
>  
> 
> also haha yeah Panda already said this, but sorry for not updating for so long... we'll try harder... 
> 
>  
> 
> And I swear I will start writing longer chapters at some point probably

**Author's Note:**

> MIKA'S POV: INSOMNIA_PRODUCTIONS (odd chapters)
> 
> YUU'S POV: FANDOMPANDABEAR (even chapters)
> 
>  
> 
> Let's just see how far this insanity goes~


End file.
